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Leominster woman calls sex-offender's sentence lenient

By Katina Caraganis , kcaraganis@sentinelandenterprise.com

Updated:
12/03/2012 12:49:01 PM EST

LEOMINSTER -- Nanette LaFleur said she was disgusted and repulsed that John McEndarfer, someone she considered a friend before he sexually molested her as a teen more than 20 years ago, was sentenced to only 4 1/2 years in prison last month after pleading guilty to charges he attempted to solicit sex from a minor.

"Just because he didn't get to do what he intended to do with her doesn't mean the intention wasn't there. This doesn't mean that he won't get out and do it again," the Leominster resident said recently. "Is this better than nothing? Yes, but it's only 4 1/2 years."

In late October, McEndarfer pleaded guilty to child-solicitation and being a repeat offender charges in an Indiana courtroom. The repeat offender charge stemmed from his 1989 conviction in Clinton District Court on charges that he molested LaFleur while giving her a ride home from a competition of the drum corps they both belonged to.

In March, according to court documents, McEndarfer traveled to Bloomington, Ind., and bought a 15-year-old girl an Apple iPhone, an iTunes gift card, condoms, a pregnancy test, clothes and jewelry.

The two had previously been exchanging sexually charged emails and text messages before the meeting, according to authorities.

When the girl's mother asked how she got the gifts, the incident was reported, and a warrant for McEndarfer was issued.

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Elizabeth Henrickson, a mental health counselor who runs her own practice in Westminster, said all of the feelings LaFleur is feeling as a result of the new conviction are natural and understandable given the intense trauma she endured as a child.

Henrickson said that in her experiences treating patients who have experienced trauma similar to LaFleur's, it comes from a person they trust and because of that, the person's sense of trust in anybody is "thrown out of whack."

"Now they really feel fearful and they feel caught. Most victims I have worked with not only report their assault for closure but also their goal is to protect others," she said.

Many of them also harbor resentment that they could have prevented their own misfortune.

"There is this huge element of guilt on the side of the victim. Usually by the time a victim discloses information and by the time there is actually charges pressed against the individual, there's such a huge length of time that has passed. That process is long and grueling for the victim who wants this open," she said.

Trauma victims also often have trigger points that bring them back to the incident, whether it be a smell or a noise or a particular place, she said. Hearing that person's name, especially in the context of committing another crime, can be hurtful, she said.

"When they hear this person has been brought to justice and now they are out and you're hearing of other cases, the whole sense of trust vs. mistrust comes into place against the justice system. It can really jeopardize the sense of security," she said. "We go to the justice system to keep ourselves safe and it's our last resort and it falls through and doesn't protect us or others; it gives us a false sense of trust.

LaFleur had been called as a witness in the trial, which was slated to begin at the beginning November in Monroe County, Ind. She was not allowed to testify at her own trial when she was 15, LaFleur said, and was hoping to get the chance for redemption here.

Henrickson said the way the criminal justice system handles cases like this is flawed and needs to be re-evaluated.

"As long as they register as a sex offender, people think it's OK, but if you go online, you only get the Level 3," Henrickson said. "There are huge long-lasting effects. I'm not sure if our justice system is aware of ramifications of childhood abuse. It's a lifelong struggle."

That rings true for LaFleur, who said her self-worth was washed away as a result of the molestation.

"It definitely affected me. It changed who I could have been. It destroyed my self-confidence, it destroyed my self-esteem, it took away from me things I could have had," she said.

She said there needs to be a more strict policy on sentencing when it comes to crimes like this.

"There is a zero tolerance for bullying in schools now. ... There is a zero tolerance in schools, what about other things? You go to jail longer for robbing a bank than assaulting a child," she said.

LaFleur wrote a victim's impact letter that was read by the prosecutor in Indiana during his sentencing, and it detailed how much she trusted McEndarfer and valued his friendship before he assaulted her:

"John McEndarfer was a Leominster bus driver, he was a bus driver for the Leominster High School marching band, he was a drum-corp member. But most of all, John McEndarfer 'WAS' a friend. Someone I thought I could trust, and count on. Someone that if something bad had happened to me, he would have been someone I could have turned too. But he wasn't. He pretended and faked his friendship very well."

LaFleur said that as a result of the molestation, she never married and many of her relationships with men were abusive. She said she felt as though she never reached her full potential because of what had happened when she was 15.

"I made a lot of poor choices in my life. And yes, I believe firmly that John was and is the largest contributing factor to the suffering I have endured since my youth.... I truly do," she wrote.

To plead guilty and receive only 4 1/2 years isn't enough, she wrote.

There needs to be a zero-tolerance policy put in place for repeat sex offenders.

"What will it take before he is put away for good so that there are no more victims?" she wrote.

McEndarfer received probation in the 1989 case involving LaFleur, who was 15.

Leominster police Lt. Michael Goldman is in charge of sexual-assault cases for the Leominster Police Department and was a member of the force in 1989. He previously said McEndarfer was sentenced to probation until 1991, according to the department's records, and it appears the probation was extended for an undetermined amount of time.

In December 1992, McEndarfer violated his probation for operating after a suspended license and was sentenced to two years in jail.

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